THE UNIQUE WAYS OF GREAT STORYTELLERS

Decoding Wes Anderson, Tim Burton and the Coen Brothers, who are among the best from the West

Some directors are like magicians; they conjure up their own reality to tell a story. Here’s a look at the signature styles of some of Hollywood’s most talented directors — Wes Anderson, Tim Burton and Coen Brothers.

WES ANDERSON

He is arguably one of the most talented and versatile artists in Hollywood — he is a producer, screenwriter, actor and an award-winning director. Symmetry and colour is something that always stand out in his movies such as The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and very often has themes of nostalgia and family (The Darjeeling Limited, 2007). Digging deeper into his childhood gives an insight into his style. He had two siblings, and was raised by an archeologist mother and a father, who worked in the field of advertising. They, however, got divorced when he was only eight. (Yes, just like the plot of his movie, The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001). It’s interesting that his characters often have strange family ties.

TIM BURTON

Thinks of Tim Burton, and a dark, quirky scene comes into your mind. Burton sends his audience to a strange world having even stranger characters. From Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), to Alice in Wonderland (2010), he paints his characters in a beautiful yet haunting manner, giving each character a uniqueness. Burton apparently spent his childhood days feeding on a steady diet of horror and science fiction, which later became his trademark.

THE COEN BROTHERS

Films by brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen have always known to be unusual. Zany characters and unorthodox situations have become their brand. They have a very non-commercial style of filmmaking, steeped in the slightlyembellished reality. Often, their films have a Texan setting, like in Raising Arizona (1987) and O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000).

Watch the greatest stories by Wes Anderson (April), Tim Burton (May) and Coen Brothers (June) every Sunday at 9 PM on Star Movies Select HD.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK A picture grab from Alice in Wonderland (left) by Tim Burton

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK A still from Burn After Reading (above: the one with characters in red) by the Coen Brothers

PHOTO: EVAN AGOSTINI/ INVISION/AP A still from The Grand Budapest Hotel (below) by Wes Anderson